Summertime
by Honeypuff Moonmoon
Summary: A Chronos Number is given an assignment, the newspapers teem of bad news and sinister sightings, Train, Eve and Sven return to the big city and something happens that sends Train's world spinning out of control.
1. A Copycat

Summertime

Disclaimer: I don't own Black Cat

Chapter 1: A Copycat

A warm sun beamed down on the golden beach and a light summer breeze blew across it, playing with Eve's blonde hair where she sat on her fluffy towel reading the newspaper. She tucked a strand of hair back behind her ear and turned the page, a slight frown settling on her face as she narrowed her eyes to read the newspaper's tiny print.

_They probably have to print it so small to fit all the bad news in, _she thought with a yawn. Eve quickly read over the articles not really taking anything in, when something caught her eye. She read the article, her eyes lit up as they flew over the lines and she sat up straighter giving it her full attention.

Eve glanced sideways at Train who was lying on his back when she had finished reading the article, his eyes shut and a small smile on his face, fast asleep, the number thirteen tattoo on his chest stood out like a sore thumb making the rest of him seem not a little sinister. With an exasperated sigh she poked him in the side, he squirmed and slapped her hand away. Lazily he opened one honey coloured eye and gazed at her with an annoyed look.

"What?" he asked.

"According to the paper there's been sightings of Black Cat and a few murders everybody says were done in his style," Eve said gesturing to the newspaper.

Train groaned and pushed himself upright, "And Princess? You woke me up to tell me of another copycat? I feel flattered but really, it isn't something to wake me up over much less to write about in a newspaper, and if he got seen it means he's crap," he said dismissing the ridiculous idea with a wave of his hand.

"Who's crap?" asked a voice from above them, Sven kneeled down on his own towel and tossed a bottle of milk to Train, he grabbed it, pulled off the cap and drank greedily. Sven shook his head and turned to Eve. He handed her an ice cream and sat down to eat his own one.

"Some idiot impersonator who got seen," Train said pausing for breath before gulping down the rest of his milk and tossing the bottle back to Sven.

Sven scowled at him but stood up to throw the bottle into the rubbish bin. Train glanced sideways at Eve, eating her ice cream and reading the newspaper. He gazed at the rumbling ocean, the waves rolling in and shook his head. It was the last day of their vacation, they would be heading back to the city just the following day and Eve was sitting with her nose in the newspaper.

He tilted his head to the side, she looked quite funny holding the newspaper, it seemed to him that the paper was almost bigger than she was and she could just peek out above it. Train wondered what she would do if he just took her ice cream out of her hand, _she probably won't even notice it_, he thought as she leaned in closer to read something particularly small holding the cone above her head as she struggled to turn the page.

Train's eyes glinted mischievously and a grin appeared on his face he really had to do something to save her from the paper, he drummed his fingers into the sand but watched Eve out the corner of his eye. He waited patiently. When Eve was busy turning the page, the wind just strong enough to make it difficult, Train jumped up and grabbed her strawberry ice cream from her.

"Train!" Eve cried and let the paper drop, it covered her almost like a blanket, an ugly dull blanket.

He held the ice cream far out of her reach, "Come on Princess!" he said, "It's the last day at the beach and you're reading the paper?" he asked incredulously.

"Give me back my ice cream Train!" she said.

"I will if you come for a swim," he said and took a lick of the ice cream.

Eve pulled a face of disgust, "Now I don't want it anymore," she said holding the paper up in front of her face. Train grinned and with one swift move he yanked the newspaper out of her hands.

"Let's go swimming! I'll race you to the water!" Train grinned and took off over the sand, flitting over it at an alarming speed.

Eve scowled and glanced sideways at Sven who was laughing, she shot out her hand towards him to grab his foot and trip him but Train hopped over it easily not even stopping, he gazed over his shoulder back at her.

"That's not nice Princess!" he shouted.

With a sigh Eve stood up and darted after him her small feet digging into the soft sand and carrying her closer and closer to the clear blue water. Train had already gotten rid of the newspaper by throwing it over some lady who was sunbathing like a blanket; he splashed into the waves and waited for her.

"Guess I win Princess! And for my prize, the loser has to do my laundry for a month!" he said triumphantly.

"I am not going to wash your smelly clothes!" Eve protested.

"Well Princess, you sure as hell didn't beat me, so you have to," Train grinned, "besides if you weren't prepared for the consequences of losing you shouldn't have agreed to this race," he added with a nod of his head.

"I didn't agree! You took my newspaper and my ice cream!" Eve exclaimed splashing him with the salty water.

"So? It was your own choice whether or not to run after me, really Princess it's time you learnt the outcomes your own decisions can have and take responsibility for it," Train said in mock seriousness.

Eve opened her mouth and was just about to shout something at him when suddenly a huge wave came and pounded down on her. Train had seen it coming and dived underneath. He resurfaced and looked around for Eve but she was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and waited a moment to see if she wouldn't appear but she didn't and Train began making his way back out of the water.

Then he saw her. Eve sat in the shallow water on top of a little girl's sand castle with a dazed look, her muddy hair hung over her face and she clawed at her eyes. Train laughed as he went up to her. Eve scowled at him through her dirty blonde tangles.

"This isn't fun," she said pursing her lips.

"Yeah, I'd think so too if I were in your shoes, come on, it gets better!" Train replied, reaching out a hand and pulling her up onto her feet again. The little girl looked at the remains of her sand castle and tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm gonna tell my daddy!" she wailed and stormed off towards a big burly man sitting not too far away. Train grabbed Eve's hand and dragged her after him back into the water.

Eve's feet were swept out from under her by another wave and she fell into the water, but Train hauled her back up and pulled her deeper and deeper into the water until they could lazily float over the waves, Eve's feet were just touching the soft sandy floor and her head was bobbing just above the water.

All of the sudden Eve wished that they didn't have to go back to the city the following day, that their vacation could just last a little longer, that they could just stay. She giggled as a big wave lifted her up and set her down again.

After a while of floating on the cool water Train gazed over at Eve with a frown, his stomach rumbled loudly, "Princess, I'm hungry!" he exclaimed and turned to make his way out of the water, "Come on! Let's go eat something!"

"What're we going to eat? Pizza again? Burgers?" she asked with a bored sigh, for the past week or so all they had eaten were pizzas on special and even Train would rather chew on a rusk or open a tin of sardines than choke down another slice of pizza. Eve swam up to him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh hell no, anything but that! We can figure it out later, come on, it's getting cold anyway," he shrugged and they made their way out, "maybe we can go get some calamari and chips!"

ooo

The city's streets were cold and silent apart from the rhythm of dogs barking at something they thought they had seen, music blaring from a popular nightclub and the sound of footsteps. They belonged to a young woman, carrying her towards the end of the street. She was hidden by the sinister shadows hanging over the little street but a bright metallic glint near her side warned off anybody stupid enough to approach her.

She came to a halt at the end of the street, she looked around her before bending down to pick up an object lying on the ground, she typed something onto it and suddenly the door in front of her slid open. Looking over her shoulder one last time she stepped inside and the door slid shut.

It took a moment before the bright white lights flickered on and the woman proceeded down the staircase leading into the dark, trailing her hand along the mossy wall. She kept an eye out for any rats until she came to the end of the staircase. Her surroundings changed as she went down the narrow hall, the walls no longer had moss growing on them in the dark, the floors had polished tiles and the air was cool instead of hot and musty.

The woman paused at the end of the hall in front of a sturdy door, unseen eyes looked her over and the door slid open. She made her way inside, where another woman was sitting with her back to the door, her long blonde hair falling down her back and a shining sword lying beside her.

"It is done,"

The blonde woman slowly stood upright and started towards her, she held the sword by her side and on her forehead was the Number One tattoo. Sephiria Arks stopped a few feet away from her and looked the woman up and down, she nodded.

"Job well done Number Thirteen, Chronos thanks you for your efforts," she said, "here is your next assignment, get the job done and get it done quickly," Sephiria held out an envelope and the woman took it carefully.

Sephiria regarded the woman with an intent stare, she had thought hard about whether or not to give that particular assignment to her, but the young woman certainly had proven herself capable of completing exceedingly difficult missions and although Sephiria didn't dare take any chances she didn't think it would be a very difficult assignment to complete and revenge always made things easier.

"Yes, of course," she said and turned to leave, she passed though the door and the hallway again, the bright white lights flickered on once more and the woman paused to open the envelope. She reached inside and pulled out a sheet of paper. She read over it quickly, _Creed Diskenth and Echidna Parass,_ their names seemed to blink at her,her eyes came to rest on the end of the sheet where two pictures of the pair were.

The woman froze, her eyes grew wide and her heart started beating violently in her chest. Her hands shook as she stared at the pictures. _It's him_, she thought. She tore her eyes away from the pictures and stuffed the sheet of paper and the envelope into one of her coat's pockets.

Taking a deep breath she tried to push it to the back of her mind and went back up the stairs and out the door. The cool night air greeted her and she retraced her footsteps down the little street, a small smile pulled at her lips as she made her way around a few corners and down some streets and alleyways.

She pulled out her keys and unlocked her apartment's door. She went inside, it was a grungy little place, not pretty in the least, it wasn't her home, and it really was only a place she laid her head down for the night. The walls were a dirty white, not a single picture hung on them, the windows were empty except for the coarse black curtains she had hung on them to keep out nosy neighbours as well as any light that could threaten to wake her up in the mornings.

The woman shrugged off her coat and tossed it onto a chair, she opened her fridge and pulled out a bottle of milk. She opened it and took a sip, shivering in pleasure at the refreshing taste of it. She fell down in her small couch and rummaged around in her coat's pockets for the assignment.

She read over it again crossing her legs and sinking deeper into her couch. She paused at the pictures again, studying them carefully; it was definitely he. The woman crumpled up the piece of paper and tossed it skilfully into the rubbish bin across the room. It flew through the air in perfect curve and landed in the bin, she smiled happily and took another sip of her milk.

Outside something caught her eye and she turned her head to look at it. A bright moon shone down on the city and without her consent her arms pushed her up and her feet carried her to the window. She pulled the morbid curtains aside and put a hand on the glass window's cold surface. It was a reminder of a different time, a time not too long ago but one that was forgotten.

She stared at the glowing moon and frowned when it seemed to wink back at her, _I swear I have to buy me some glasses,_ she thought rubbing her eyes and taking another sip of her milk. She let herself be taken back to the other time and smiled at the memories.

Softly she began to sing the words to a song, she hesitated at some of it's parts unable to remember the whole song, but eventually they came back to her bubbling up inside her so that she had to let them out. She drank the rest of the milk, shot a last glance at the bright moon and pulled the curtain shut.

She fetched a blanket from her bedroom and sat back down on the couch. She pulled it up to under her chin and lied down. She frowned at the thought of the assignment looming closer and closer. Sephiria had told her to get it done and get it done quickly which meant that she would probably have to do it within the next 48 hours, she shut her eyes and willed herself asleep. An icy cold pit of dread formed in her stomach. Unknowingly she fingered the number thirteen that was tattooed into her chest.

* * *

So that's chapter one, please let me know if you liked it, tell me if something bothered you or didn't seem right or if anyone was OOC, tips for improving are welcome and much appreciated. I'll try updating regularly but things are going a bit rough, I've missed four weeks of school and I'm starting again Monday so bear with me. I really hope you enjoyed it!

Happy reading and happy writing!!

The Goose


	2. Cold

Summertime

Disclaimer: I don't own Black Cat

A/N: Thanks much to everyone who reviewed, Inuyasha4ever255, The Great Rick and lina1437 you guys made my day! I wanted it to be a surprise but this is going to be a Train/Saya fic. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2: Cold

Bumping and jolting Sven's little car sped along the motorway, Train's eyes flew open as the car joggled over the uneven road. He sighed in annoyance; bad dreams had been dogging him again the whole night. Usually he would have been able to have a catnap in the car but after an hour of juddering along Train accepted the fact that he would only have that luxury in about six more hours' time.

"Would you pass me some milk please, Princess?" he asked reaching forward and tapped Eve on the shoulder.

Train sighed again, not even the music was good, Sven kept a collection of ancient tapes and whenever they went on a little trip he would play one of them and get a distant look and a small smile on his face. Train had already tried to do away with them but no matter how he searched he couldn't find the damn things.

Eve handed the bottle of milk to Train, "Thanks," he said opening it and taking a sip. He sat back and put his feet up onto the other backseat. Train looked out the window, his eyes darting from side to side as he followed everything, a tree here… a little fence there… sheep grazing… He brought the bottle to lips to take another sip. Suddenly the little car jerked violently and Train let out a growl as he got milk all over him.

"What are you doing back there Train?" Sven asked gazing at him through the mirror with a grin.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Train glared, "That's not funny! I got milk all over myself and by the time we finally get to the city I'll smell!"

Eve turned around to gaze at him, "I think it is appropriate to say that is no use crying over spilt milk Train," she said and Sven chuckled.

"Haha, you have such sharp wit Princess," he said sarcastically, "and you call me immature!" Train muttered under his breath. He sat up again and gulped down the little bit of milk that was left before shoving it into the plastic bag at his feet. He folded his arms over his sticky chest and stared out the window again. Train muttered a string of colourful curses under his breath.

"Not in front of Eve, Train!" Sven told him off, "If you keep this up I won't stop this car until we're there!" he warned. Train gritted his teeth to keep from retorting.

Soon though Sven find a pit stop, a small garage and restaurant that was just bustling with people returning from their holidays. Train tugged his bag closer and rummaged about inside it, he pulled out a loose black T-shirt. Eve and Sven went to sit down in the restaurant but Train went straight to the lavatory to change into a clean shirt.

"So what're we having?" he asked plopping down in the chair next to Eve.

Eve wrinkled her nose, "You smell even worse now!" she said grimacing and holding her nose.

"Yeah well, unfortunately the shirt that you two just ruined was my only clean shirt!" he replied with a grin and leaned in closer to her. Eve shuddered repulsed and pushed him away from her.

"That's revolting!" she exclaimed.

"Well Princess, deal with it!" Train laughed turning his attention to Sven, "So? What're we having?" he asked again.

"Hmmm… I was thinking of pasta, or maybe waffles, it's still only ten o' clock," he said studying the menu.

"I vote waffles!" Train exclaimed putting up his hand, "With ice-cream and those little chocolate sprinkles!" he added.

"Mmmm… sounds okay," Sven agreed and got up to order at the counter.

Train yawned as he watched Sven walk up to the counter to place their order, he looked around him, there was an excited buzz all around the little restaurant, everybody chattered happily amongst themselves. He noticed a big muscular man in a black suit sitting alone in the far corner of the restaurant.

The man wore dark sunglasses but Train had a feeling he was watching them intently where they sat. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and Train averted his gaze.

"I don't like the look of that guy," he mumbled.

"Which one?" Eve asked quietly, "There are two, one sitting there in the corner and the other one is standing over there by the lavatory doors. They're both watching us," she stated softly.

Train leaned back in his and pretended to yawn while he snuck a peek at the lavatory doors. Another man in a sharp black suit stood there leaning against the wall, his dark sunglasses sat on his nose.

"What do you think they want?" Eve asked.

"I don't know," Train replied, thoughts were racing around in his head but he decided to shake them off, "but let's just have breakfast and leave," he said keeping his eye on them.

Train and Eve wolfed down their waffles as quickly as they could, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the taste they just wanted to get as far away from the two men as possible.

Once Train had swallowed the last bite he eagerly sat watching Sven who was picking at his waffle while happily reading the newspaper at the same time, he silently urged him on to eat faster, put the paper down and eat, eat, eat! He bit his lip as Sven daintily cut himself a tiny bit sized cube and brought it to his mouth. He chewed it properly before swallowing.

Train wanted to scream.

"Hmm… cold front approaching" Sven mumbled.

Train cleared his throat, "Sven?" he asked in a whisper, "We really need to get to the city before dark, you think you could hurry up a bit?"

Sven looked up at him with a surprised expression, completely oblivious to the suspicious men in their black suits.

"What? We're still on time, no need to hurry," he said.

"We're still meeting up with Annette, aren't we?" Eve asked, "You know how irritable she gets when we aren't early," she said wisely.

Sven looked from one to the other with a raised eyebrow, evaluating their story.

He shrugged, "Yeah, okay, I guess we should pick it up a bit," he said, "I'm not really hungry, do you want mine?"

Train and Eve shook their heads and in less than three minutes they were out of the restaurant and back in the car again. Train stared out of the window, eagerly watching for the two men to come out after them. He let out a relieved breath when they were on the road again with no one but a happy family of four in their SUV driving behind them.

Train leaned back against the door, laying over all three the tiny back seats with his feet in the window, he frowned, who were those men? Why were they watching them if they were indeed watching them? They couldn't still be after Eve, could they?

ooo

It was in broad daylight that the young woman made her way through the huge rose garden towards the mansion in which her targets were. She smirked to herself, it would be easy, very easy, revenge made everything easier. An icy breeze blew dark strands of hair across her face, she quickly tucked them behind her ears, not slowing down, not wavering.

She stopped in front of the wooden back door, _did they leave it open?_ She wondered to herself, placing a hand on the doorknob. She turned it and the door swung open without a sound. Could they make it any easier? She grinned to herself in contempt.

She took out her gun, holding it close to her, the metal cool and calm in her hands, she proceeded out of the room, down two halls, up two staircases. She sighed, it was always such a struggle to find her targets, all were so rich and had such large mansions.

She stopped dead, she had heard them, a faint laugh coming from upstairs. The woman licked her lips and quickly made her way towards her target, closer and closer she came. Every now and then she paused, listening carefully for any more sounds and then she went on, hunting for them.

Her moves were precise and accurate and the tattoo she carried on her chest was proof of it. Sephiria always told her that she was even deadlier than her predecessor had been, she liked being compared to other Numbers, she usually came out on top of them.

"Don't move,"

The woman stopped with a small smile on her face, against her head she felt the cool metal of a gun and heard the _click, _so they were going to make it a bit difficult for her after all?

"Drop the gun," the voice ordered, and she could feel the woman's breath on her ear, she had found one of her targets. Echidna Parass was hanging out of one of her holes. The woman stood perfectly still, keeping a firm hold on her gun.

"Drop it!" Echidna ordered again, jamming her gun against the woman's head.

The woman narrowed her eyes in annoyance, Echidna would wish she hadn't done that very very soon. She bent forward as if to put the gun down and then in a move so quick Echidna didn't have time to think what was going on, she had flipped over kicking the gun out of Echidna's hands and easily pulling her out of the hole.

Dusting herself off the woman stood up straight and went over to Echidna where she sat dazed.

"I would ask for your autograph," she said with a smirk, "but I've got more important things to attend to,"

Echidna's eyes were wide and the woman could see her tremble in terror, she opened her mouth to scream but no sound would come out. The woman raised her gun, and the cowering Echidna made a move to get away but the woman planted her foot firmly on the material of her jacket.

She shook her head and tutted, holding up her gun again. She aimed and was just about to pull the trigger when suddenly there came a noise from the stairs. Her shot was off and the bullet imbedded itself in Echidna's shoulder. A blood-curdling shriek sounded from her.

Half annoyed the woman turned to the stairs where a man with silver hair and a very familiar face stood, his mouth hung open and there was an expression of horror on his face.

"N-n-no!" was all he could whisper as the young woman stepped away from Echidna where she lied on the ground in a small puddle of blood and tears, clutching her shoulder.

"Good morning Mr Diskenth," she said with a smile as she made her way towards him, seeing him gawp at her with fear and shock made her feel oddly good and she couldn't help but smile as she raised her gun again.

"P-please! No!" he stuttered, gripping the wall beside him.

"Oh, I love it when they beg for mercy," she laughed to herself as she pulled the trigger and sent a bullet into his head. The harsh sound seemed to echo through the hall and he fell onto his back staring up at the ceiling through empty eyes. She turned away from the mess and glanced back to where Echidna had been.

"Rats," she cursed when she saw that Echidna had disappeared, the blood trailed to a certain point and then suddenly just stopped.

The woman put her gun away, there was no point to stay any longer Echidna was long gone. She shrugged, she would get her eventually it was just a matter of time. With a last glance at Creed Diskenth's body she traced her steps back down the stairs to the small back door. She made her way through the rose garden again, it seemed quite eerie suddenly, and the mansion behind it seemed like a ghost house.

She reached over and plucked a rose, holding it to her and breathing in deeply before tucking it into her hair. She looked over her shoulder at the ghost house before vanishing into the rose bushes.

But the hunt wasn't over yet, one of them had escaped and she had to find her.

ooo

Train pulled himself out of the tiny car, his muscles were aching horribly from the long drive and he stretched his arms over his head. He had a bad taste in his mouth and his eyes stung terribly, he was fed up! In the front seat Eve was fast asleep, her head lolling to one side and her mouth hanging open. Train scowled, half jealous, why couldn't he just sleep in the car like that?

He decided to poke her, it was unfair that she was able to jet off to dreamland while he had to sit counting his teeth and blinking his bloodshot eyes. Train felt oddly pleased when Eve frowned in her sleep and tried to slap his hand away.

"Train," she moaned, "I'm sleepy! Stop poking me!"

Train laughed, "Come on Princess, we're here," he said and slowly Eve opened her eyes.

"Where's Sven?" she asked rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, he's already inside, told me to get the bags… fat chance," Train laughed.

Eve rolled her eyes and slowly clambered out of the car. Her hair stood out in all directions and Train couldn't help but laugh, earning him a withering look from her. The pair made their way into the café. Train raised an eyebrow, surprised at how many people were sitting inside.

"I've never seen this place so busy!" he mumbled to himself as they pushed through the crowds towards the front counter where Sven was already standing eagerly talking to Annette. Train and Eve shoved and squeezed their way past all the people in the line to get to them.

Annette smiled a tense smile and gave the two of them a curt nod as a greeting and continued turned back to Sven. Train yawned, he was so tired, and he couldn't pay attention to everything that was thrown about by the pair. Some pictures, some tips… he just couldn't pay attention to them and instead listened to all the conversation going on around him.

Something caught his attention.

Behind him a small old lady with big glasses and a serious expression on her face was talking to a plump woman who had an equally serious expression. Both clutched their knitting bags tightly to their chests.

"Film stars are all snakes in the grass, I swear it's true!" she said, "Take that other floozy, Echidna Parass, she and that Apostle of the Star guy had something going on. She sucked him dry, powers and money and everything and then she shot him in the head and left!"

"Really?" the plump woman asked.

"Yes! My nephew's with the police!" she nodded excitedly, "Terrible, strange things happened in that mansion, they did! He told me when he called earlier to let me know that he couldn't make lunch. Apparently Creed Diskenth was lying on the floor, dead as a doornail with a bullet hole right between his eyes! And Echidna Parass? Nowhere to be seen!"

The plump woman gawped, "Really?" she asked.

"Yes! What does that tell you?" she asked, "All of the people on this supposed A-list are snakes! Every single one of them!"

Train's mouth hung open in shock, he turned to gawp at the two women behind him but they were already on an entirely new subject. Train couldn't believe it, it didn't seem right at all. Although he still felt a bit bitter about what had happened those years ago he hadn't wished such a death on Creed, and Echidna wouldn't have done something like that to Creed, she had loved him. Train had seen it.

"What happened?" he asked aloud.

Annette, Eve and Sven became quiet and stared at him.

Train blinked, trying to figure it out but he had nothing, he didn't know anything than the little bit of information he had gained from two old ladies having their usual gossip over a spot of tea.

"Train?" Sven asked.

"I'm fine, just wondering about something…" Train said vaguely.

Annette and Sven turned back to their business but Eve continued to stare at him as if trying to read his thoughts.

Train frowned, if only he could find a way to talk to Echidna, just find out what happened, everything seemed so wrong and unclear. He had to figure it out, but where would he find her? He looked up to find Annette laughing heartily at a joke Sven had told and nodded, he would clear up the mess soon!

He leaned against the wall, his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier by the minute and every few seconds his eyes would close and his head would droop to his chest but then he would awake with a gasp and an even worse head ache. Oh how he despised uneven roads and nightmares that kept stalking him!

"Okay, thanks very much Annette," Sven finally said, holding the wanted posters that Annette had sent them firmly in his hand, "let me just go get the bags seeing as _someone _was too lazy to bring them in," he stared pointedly at Train.

Train grinned, "Yeah, gees Princess! Why don't you ever pull your weight around here?" he asked.

Eve gave him a withering look and Sven rolled his eyes.

"Urgh, I'll be right back," Sven said to them and started towards the doors, Train waited patiently until he could no longer see Sven shoving his way through the huge crowd of people. He turned to Annette.

"So, this place has gotten very busy very quickly," he said, "What happened?"

Annette yawned, "Clever publicity and very generous offers," she smiled.

Train nodded and cleared his throat, time to strike.

"Annette?" he asked, "Could you find someone for me?"

Annette smiled, "That's my pride and joy, just tell me who and consider it done," she said.

Train raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to her, "Could you please track Echidna Parass down for me?" he asked in a low whisper just loud enough for Annette to hear.

Annette frowned in confusion and then she nodded.

"Could be a bit difficult if she doesn't want to be found but I'll have found her by sunset tomorrow," Annette replied.

Train smiled at her, "Thanks a lot," he said and looked into the crowd again. It felt like someone was staring at him, he looked around himself trying to see who it was, his gaze fell on Eve who was staring at him with a dubious look on her face. Train winked at her as a reassurance, she raised a questioning eyebrow but looked away all the same. Train looked down, he just wanted to find out what had happened, nothing worth worrying about, was it?

* * *

So there you go, sorry for the late update, reviews are much appreciated, please point anything out that bothered you and I'll try my best to fix it.

The Goose XD


	3. Miss Parass

Summertime

A/N: Hey guys, I'm so sorry for the late update. Anyway I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own lack Cat

* * *

Chapter 3: Miss Parass

Train lied on his back staring at the ceiling with his eyes wide open, he brought his hand up to his face and frowned at how ghostly it looked in the dark. His head was just buzzing with questions and ideas and theories and his eyes simply refused to stay shut. What had happened? He had to know, it continued to nag him and nothing could stop it.

With a sigh Train kicked the thick duvet off him, it was stifling and he could hardly breathe under it, and sat upright, his head in his hands. He couldn't keep staring up at the ceiling for a moment longer! Train pushed himself up and quietly made his way towards the fridge, he welcomed the cold tiles beneath his feet, surely a cool bottle of milk would calm him down a bit.

He rummaged about in the fridge, cursing to himself when he couldn't find the milk; it frustrated him to no end when he couldn't find something. After what felt like an hour he pulled a bottle of milk from the very back of the crowded little fridge. Train let out a sigh; he was letting the tiniest things get to him! He shut the fridge and turned around.

Eve was standing behind him, her arms folded over her chest and a solemn look on her face.

"Princess, what're you doing awake this time of the night?" Train asked opening the bottle.

"I'm concerned about you, Train," she replied seriously.

Train frowned, "Why's that? You worried I won't find my way back to my bed or something?" he asked with a grin.

"I worry that you will do something foolish," Eve said.

"Princess!" Train exclaimed, "Come on! I'm a big boy, I think I can look after myself; you really don't need to worry about me! What's the time anyway?" he dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.

Eve stared at him, "It's six o' clock already," she stated and kept staring at him with her suspicious stare. Train groaned in exasperation.

"Why do you think I'm about to do something stupid anyway?" he asked.

"I think so because you're keeping things from me!" she said, "Who is this person you want Annette to locate?" Eve asked.

"I just want to ask her a few questions, nothing stupid," Train said.

Eve sighed and turned to leave, she was going to get nowhere with Train, "I'm going to get dressed," she said and walked out of the little kitchen.

"Yeah, sweet dreams!" Train called after her, he took a sip of his milk and sat down by the table. He did feel bad for not being completely honest with Eve, after all they had been through he still had his little secrets that he kept from the two of them.

_It keeps me mysterious, _he thought taking another sip. He yawned, he was so tired and yet unable to go to sleep! Train sat there slowly drinking his milk, relishing every sip, how he loved its taste. When he was done made his way back to bed as quietly as he had come. He didn't welcome the cold night air quite as much, it seemed to him as though it had an icy bite to it now and he wanted to get back underneath the thick duvet again.

Train stared up at the ceiling again, the questions were still buzzing around in his head but they didn't seem as loud anymore. With a yawn he pulled the duvet tighter around him and rolled onto his side. He shut his eyes and it was that moment before one drifts off to a deep wonderful sleep. Suddenly something poked him in the back but Train chose to ignore it, it was probably nothing. It poked him again… and again… and again. Train groaned loudly.

"Oh come on!" he growled, "It's the middle of the night and I was just about to jet off to Dreamland for the first time in days!" Train scowled and rolled onto his other side to see whom it was.

"It's six thirty, Train!" Sven was leaning over him with a grin on his face, "Up and at 'em! We got a lot of work to do today, no lazing about!" he said in a cheerful voice that annoyed Train very much and made him want to punch Sven right out of his shoes.

He grounded his teeth together and clenched his fists to restrain himself from doing it, he glared up at Sven.

"It is dark, it is cold and I'm really tired! There is no way that the exciting activities that you have planned for us for today is going to get me out of this bed!" Train said.

Sven ignored him and just as he turned to leave he reached over and yanked the thick duvet off Train. He dumped it on the floor, well out of Train's reach. He let out a laugh and left the room, "Get up!" he ordered halfway out of the door.

Train groaned again, why he even stayed with them sometimes baffled him, but he wouldn't want to even picture a life without the pair. He could but it would be a very dark and bleak one indeed.

Very slowly Train rolled out of bed again, he threw on some clothes, sniffing at his shirt just to make sure that he didn't smell bad. Shrugging he made his way back to the kitchen where both Eve and Sven was already eating breakfast. He plopped down in a chair opposite them.

"So what exactly is on the agenda for today?" he asked.

Sven scratched his chin in thought, "Well," he began, "we need to stock up, so I thought about going shopping a bit later, and we have to decide which criminals we're chasing tonight…" he said, his voice trailing off, "and that's about it," he smiled.

"So you woke me up because?" Train asked.

"Because you'll be babysitting Eve, and a responsible babysitter is always awake and alert," Sven said wisely.

Train scowled, "So you woke me up because?" he asked again.

Sven rolled his eyes and brought another spoonful of breakfast cereal to his mouth. Train wrinkled his nose in disgust, although he would eat anything when he was hungry and he happened to be hungry very often, there was no way he was going to choke down a bowl of mouldy wood shavings!

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sven said suddenly, "There's also a pile of laundry from our little holiday that needs to get washed,"

Train felt his spirits sink into his shoes, why did the day have to start off so horrible?

After the table had been cleared and the dishes washed Sven announced it was time for him to head off to the shops.

"Now Train, I'll be gone for quite a while so be sure to get started on the laundry, when I get back the third load should be drying already!" he said as he rummaged about the living room for his car keys.

Train sighed, "Yes, Daddy," he answered jokingly.

Sven sent a glare his way as he opened the door, he turned back to Eve who was sitting with her back straight as a ruler and her nose in a thick book, "Eve, I want you to take good care of Train, remember to tell him what a special little boy he is," he winked and Eve giggled.

"Oh please! You guys are such a riot, you know that?" Train asked, "Haha, look I'm splitting my sides laughing so hard at your lame jokes," he said and made his way to the couch.

Sven chuckled, "Alright, I'll see you later then," he said and disappeared out the door.

Train yawned and flicked on the television, there was no way he was going to do the laundry! He could just imagine pulling those icy cold wet clothes out of the machine and hanging them up in the freezing washing room. There was just no way he was going to put himself through such torture.

Quickly he flipped through the channels but as usual there was nothing good on TV, he yawned again and left it on some program about the life cycle of a frog; egg, tadpole, frog with a tail and finally frog. Train shook his head when he saw Eve put down her book to watch the program, he sighed sometimes she was so odd. He gazed back at the television trying to see what she found so interesting about it. Before long though he felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, his breathing became slow and calm ad his head started dipping forward.

Train fought to keep his eyes open but soon he gave up and let himself drift off to sleep, a very eagerly awaited sleep.

It seemed like mere moments off peace before his mobile phone began to shriek in his ears. Train woke up with a start, his breath came in short gasps and he looked around for the source of the terrible noise.

His eyes landed on his phone, ringing loudly on the table in the middle of the room.

He slouched over to his phone where it lied on the table, why couldn't he just have a decent lie-down for goodness sake? It frustrated him incredibly and he angrily thrust in the answer button of his phone.

"What?" he asked rudely.

"Train? It's Annette," her voice said in an electronic hum that made Train's head ache painfully. Why the hell was she bothering him so early?

"What do you want?" Train asked.

He could almost hear her annoyance over the phone but when she finally spoke she sounded calm, a forced calm, "Train, you asked me yesterday to find Echidna Parass for you," she stated.

"Yeah?" Train asked, was she making sure of what he had asked her the previous night or had she actually caught the elusive woman in such a short period of time?

He waited eagerly for her answer.

"I found her," she said.

Train paused, his tired mind struggling to process what she was telling him, "Already?" he asked after a few seconds.

"Well, like I said, finding people is my pride and joy," Annette chuckled.

Train raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Where can I get her?" he asked.

"I think you'll have to move fast," Annette said seriously, "You know that grotty apartment building across the street from that bar, the Hot Lips in the northern part of the city?" she asked.

"Yes," Train answered slowly.

"She's in there, top floor, last door on the right," she said quickly, "have you got it?"

Train recited it to her, "Yeah, thanks a lot Annette," he said and hung up.

Eve tore her eyes away from the television to give Train a worried look as he stuffed his phone into his back pocket and mumbled the address over and over to himself. He gazed sideways at her with a grin.

"So Princess," he began, "you want to come hold my hand and make sure I don't do anything stupid?" he asked.

Eve nodded and jumped up from the couch.

Train grabbed a little sticky note and scribbled a message to Sven if he was to come back before they did. He stuck it on the fridge and the pair made their way out of the little room.

Eve watched him curiously, he had a big smile on his face and he was humming to himself as they walked, she desperately hoped that he wasn't leading them both into murky waters.

"When we're done we can go an ice cream too!" Train exclaimed excitedly and Eve tilted her head to one side. He was really worrying her now and curiosity burned within her as to what the cause of his strangeness was.

"Where are we going?" she asked carefully.

Train paused before answering, considering what to say, he winked, "Well, we're going to go see an old acquaintance," he said quickening his pace just a little bit.

Eve started jogging behind him, "What acquaintance?" she asked, "Train, what acquaintance?"

"An old special one!" Train answered shaking his head.

Eve felt her cheeks flush in anger, why wouldn't he just tell her? How was she supposed to be sure they were going t be all right if he refused to let her in on anything? Her annoyance grew with every step as she hurried after him.

They crossed street after street and the quick steps they gave slapped the sidewalk. After some time Eve started to notice how the city changed, it slowly seemed to become grungier and more unkempt. She looked around her; this was the sort of place where they usually searched for their criminals. She shivered as an icy pit formed in her stomach; she really didn't want to be here!

Train finally came to a halt outside a very drab looking club, Eve gazed at it, it seemed to be shut and old broken neon lettering glowed on its walls, The Hot Lips. She gazed sideways back at Train expectantly, waiting to see where they were going next.

"The Hot Lips…" he mumbled to himself and turned to the old building across the street. He grinned down at Eve again, "Come on! It's right across the street!" he urged her on and the two jogged across.

The building was a rundown dilapidated redbrick. Eve wrinkled her nose in disgust; it stank of boiled cabbage and old trash that had been lying outside too long without someone coming to remove it. She could hear a baby wailing through one of the many doors. Why would anyone stay in such a derelict place?

"She's on the top floor!" Train said and began to jump up the stairs, taking them two by two. Eve bit her lip and followed him.

Flight after flight of stairs they made their way closer and closer to their destination. When they finally reached the top floor Eve's breath came in short gasps but Train pushed on, very quickly he made his way to the end of the narrow corridor at the very end he turned to the right.

"Here we are," he stated as Eve approached his side. She gazed at the door in front of them; it was shut and looked as though it was most definitely going to stay that way. Eve frowned, she hoped it would.

"Where exactly is here?" she asked glancing sideways at Train.

"You'll see soon enough," Train replied and knocked on the door, three distinctive knocks.

After a few moments the door opened slightly but not enough for Eve to see whom this mysterious person they were going to see was.

"What do you want?" a soft female voice asked.

"To ask you a few questions," Train replied.

Silence fell on them Eve was just about to pull Train away when the door suddenly opened.

Eve gawped, there in the doorway stood Echidna Parass.

"Train Heartnet," Echidna stated, "I didn't think I'd see you again so soon,"

Eve looked her up and down; this woman was only a ghost of the famous, beautiful woman they had encountered a few years ago. Her hair seemed matted and greasy, no longer shining when the light fell on it, her face was gaunt and lines of grief adorned it. She had also become frighteningly thin and it seemed as if the faintest breeze would easily blow her away. Eve noticed the thick bandage she had around her shoulder, something had happened…

The woman briefly met her eyes but gazed back at Train.

"May we come in?" Train asked.

Echidna frowned, "You are putting me in quite a bit of danger but I suppose so could," she said after some time. She stood aside to let them in and casting a suspicious glance down the narrow corridor she shut her door and locked it.

Train made his way inside and Eve hesitantly trailed after him into the dimly lit apartment. She tightly clasped her hands together, why were they here, on an old enemy's doorstep? What was going on?

She looked around the apartment and noticed something strange, Creed Diskenth wasn't there, where could he be hanging out? She shuddered; he didn't really have a place in her fondest memories.

"Well, I'd tell you to take a seat but…" Echidna said and gestured to the empty room, "There are no seats," she chuckled softly.

Train shook his head, "That's alright, we won't be long," he said and Eve couldn't help but notice how eager he looked, "you don't have to answer my questions if you aren't ready to talk about it, but I just have to know what happened to Creed," he explained.

Eve's head jerked up, "What happened to him?" she asked glancing from Train to Echidna. She felt a frown slip onto her face; a faint hint of annoyance prickled her, why hadn't Train told her that something had happened?

Echidna swallowed, "He's… dead," she replied quietly.

Eve's eyes widened in surprise, and she glanced at Train in concern, she could remember when he had so obsessively sought revenge. He had had a chance to do it, to kill the man and avenge his old friend. She didn't know if he still thought about it, if he had any regrets about letting that one chance slip through his fingers. And now someone else had killed him and snatched his revenge right off his plate.

Eve felt an odd mix of emotions, on one hand she felt sad, no one deserves to die, but on the other hand she felt strangely relieved. Relieved that Train wasn't the one who had killed him and that he couldn't foolishly put himself in danger if the thought of revenge haunted him once more.

"I-I'm sorry for your loss," Eve said softly, the frail woman nodded but Eve noticed tears filling her eyes. She bit her lip.

"When did it happen?" she asked in a gentle voice.

"O-only y-y-yesterday," Echidna stuttered, her voice trembling and her lip quivering.

"Who did it?" Train asked, urging her to tell him and yet holding back at the same time.

Echidna hung her head and bit her lip and tried to compose herself, fighting back the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks any second.

"I don't know, it was a young woman, about your age. She had short brown hair and she-she used a gun…" her voice trailed off, "a gun much like yours," she added lifting her head to look at him.

Eve frowned; Train's gun was one of a kind, very unusual. Her eyes widened, could it have been…

"Chronos?" she breathed.

Train stared at her, a blank stare, but she could almost see his head buzzing with questions and possibilities behind those eyes, he was reasoning with himself whether or not it could have been Chronos.

"But why?" he asked, "Why now?"

"I don't know," Echidna said, "I don't know if she's a Number, I don't know why they would suddenly want us dead,"

Train frowned, deep in thought, it could've been Chronos, they had wanted the pair dead some time ago, and they had desperately pursued them and their organization… He shook his head, but Sephiria was one of his allies, a friend, wasn't she? Why would they suddenly start chasing after old targets again now?

"It's strange… but maybe you should come stay with us for a while?" Eve said.

"Yes, that's a good idea, Chronos won't stop hunting you until you're dead at least you'll be safer with us," Train agreed.

Echidna looked from Eve to Train and shook her head, "No," she said firmly, "I'll only be a danger to you,"

Eve looked as though she was about to protest, she opened her mouth but Train cut her off with a look, _she needs time to be alone, to think things over, she's just lost a very important person in her life after all, _his eyes seemed to say and she nodded, shutting her mouth.

Train cleared his throat, "Okay, but if you need anything don't be shy to call," he said and quickly gave her his phone number. Echidna nodded but Eve could tell by the blank look she had on her face that she would be doing no such thing.

"Thanks for answering my questions, we'll leave now," he said.

Echidna nodded, "You deserve to know what happened," she replied.

They said their good-byes and left the woman.

Train frowned as they made their way back down the sidewalk. Suddenly he paused, something wasn't right, he could feel it. He stared back over his shoulder at the building, everything looked all right. He shrugged off the feeling of impending doom and jogged to catch up with Eve.

But Train had been looking and not seeing.

He should've noticed the scraggly beggar lady lying on the ground by the old Hot Lips club's entrance with a newspaper thrown over her and a big dirty hat pulled over her eyes. If he had only stared over his shoulder for a little longer he would've seen her jump up and quickly shuffle across the street and into the run down building. But he hadn't.

Instead he thought hard about what he had learnt and asked Eve what flavour ice cream she wanted.

By the time they had reached the street corner the young woman had thrown off her beggar disguise and pulled out her gun, she was approaching the end of the hall quickly. Her prey was so close now!

The woman smiled and turned to the door on her right, should she knock?

She did. Three taunting knocks.

She sniffed indifferently when the door remained shut then with a quick movement she burst through the door, the worn out material giving way easily.

The woman sauntered further inside, her smile widened, unlike last time her target wasn't hiding away in a huge mansion and locating her position would be no trouble at all…

Train didn't hear the single gun shot being fired in the old derelict building where they had been only minutes ago with Echidna Parass who was lying on the floor at her assassin's feet, a bullet right between uninhabited eyes…

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed it, I apologise for the wait again and again and again! Ooh, but it's getting more interesting! Please tell me if you liked it, please let me know if something bothered you, if the characters were a bit OOC or something and I'll try my best to fix it.

I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting, thank you to everyone who's sticking with me and who I am torturing with my accursed late updates, I am SO sorry, I love you guys!

Happy reading and happy writing!

The Goose XD


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